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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: file · pop · capital · jam · season · pitcher · last · mug

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. last — to go on
  3. file — a document
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. capital — money
  6. mug — to rob
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. file — a tool
  10. capital — a city
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. last — final
  13. pop — music
  14. file — a line of people
  15. pop — soda
  16. season — in sport
  17. mug — a face
  18. season — of the year
  19. mug — a cup
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. pop — to visit
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. pitcher — in baseball

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com